1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a memory device able to be used for example for image signal processing using an algorithm called “region growing” and an image processing apparatus using the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
As one image signal processing technique, there is the known the algorithm called “region growing”.
Region growing is a technique for sequentially performing processing for combining into a single region a small region in question and a small region adjacent to that when they have the same characteristics as each other in density values, color, etc. so as to gradually grow a region having equal characteristics and finally divide an overall image into regions.
This region growing algorithm is a technique generally used in the fields of image recognition and image processing and is used mainly for object extraction and edge detection.
FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are views for explaining an example of the region growing algorithm using a computer, wherein FIG. 1 is a flowchart and FIG. 2 is a view of the pixel array.
This algorithm first initializes the flags to set them to 0 (ST1), then computes the correlation flags of adjacent pixels for the entire screen (ST2).
For example, as shown in FIG. 2, it extracts pixels having high correlation around points of black marks.
Next, it sets a flag “1” at a designated point (ST3).
When the flags of adjacent cells are “1” and “0” and the result of the operation of correlation of the adjacent pixels is “1”, it changes the “0” to “1” (ST4).
Next, it counts the number of flags “1”.
Then, it decides whether or not the previous count and the current count are equal (ST5).
When it decides at step ST5 that the previous count and the current count are not equal, it returns to the processing of step ST4. It repeats the processings of steps ST4 to ST6 until a result of a decision that they have become equal is obtained.
The white squares of FIG. 2 indicate that the correlation switch is on, while the black squares indicate that the correlation switch is off.
Summarizing the problem to be solved by the invention, in the signal processing method explained above, it was necessary to repeat the loop operation many times, so this was a big load on the processing capability of the CPU.
Namely, in region growing using a computer, since the load of the algorithm on the CPU was very heavy, it was difficult to perform the processing in real time.